Cargo unloader



Aug. 9, 1927.

s. COOPER CARGO UNLOADER.

Filed ON 10. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. ,9 1927.1 7

s. CQOPER CARGO uNLoADER Filed Oct. 10. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug;

'5. COOPER CARGO UNLOADER Filed Oct. 10. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

warren STATES I SIlVION COOPER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CARGO unnoannn.

Application filed October 10, 1922. Serial No. 593,522.

the construction disclosed in the accompany- I ing drawings, which construction illustrates but one of the'possible embodiments of the invention, defined in the following specification and claims.

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of the mid-ship portion of a cargo carrying vessel, showing the elevator mechanism installed between two hatchways, with the convergent chutes for selectively feeding the same and the gravity conveyor on the upper deck for discharging the cargo onto an adjoining pier or other receiving station.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view as taken on substantially the plane of line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the ship as on substantially the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail of one of the collapsible chutes, the supporting parts at opposite ends of the same being broken away and indicated in section.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the lower or intake end of the elevator mechanism, with parts appearing in section.

Figure 6 is a plan and part sectional view of the same.

Figure 7 is a broken side elevation of the upper or discharge end of the elevator.

Figure 8 is a part sectional view onsubstantially the plane of line 88 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the parts appearing in Figure 7.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 the elevator is indicated in a general Way at 10, located over the center line of the ship between the two hatchways 11.

This elevator structure is arranged so that it may be made to register with any one of a number of feed chutes 12, grouped about the same, and extending thereto on conver-.

gent lines from different holds or different sections of the ship. In this particular il-' cargo from the upper hOldSliand can be detached and collapsed to also take cargo from the lower. holds 15. The lower ends of the chutes may be fixed to the'casing 16 which encloses the elevator and extends as a well from the bottom of the ship up through the upper deck.

A preferred construction for the chutes is shown in Figure 4, which illustrates each chute as made up of a plurality of sections 17 collapsing one within the other, the lower larger section terminating in a discharge lip 18 opening into the elevator casing and the upper smallest section having an entrance throat '19 detachably secured at 20 in a man-hole or passage 21 in the middle deck. A chain or set of chains 22 is connected between adjacent sections at the upper side of the chute to limit the extension of the chute so as to prevent accidental disengagement of the sections, and at the lower side the sections'are shown constructed with projecting lips 23 overlapping the ends of preceding sections in such a way as to permit of a certain amount of articulation, the extent of which is governed by a chain or set of connected chains 24:.

The elevator is disclosed herein as consisting of a pair of endless chains 25carrying suitably spaced platform flights 26, the chains being supported at their upper and lower ends respectively on sprocket wheels 27, 28 on shafts 29, 30 supported in suitable b'e-aringscarried by the upright frame work 31. This frame work is shown as made up of four uprights or posts 32 connected together and carried at the bottom by a heel plate 33 and connected together at the top by a yoke or bracket 34. This frame may be suitably braced at intermediate points, depending more or less upon the length of the same. The elevator frame is pivotally mounted at its upper and lower ends, in the illustration, by providing the upper yoke -with a pivot stud 35 adapted to engage in a suitable bearing provided at the head of the elevator and by mounting the heel plate on a step bearing carried by the base plate 36 and including a central pivot stud with a series of radially arranged truncated rollers 37 To keep the elevator chains under proper tension and take up for wear, I have shown the same in Figure? as passing over supporting idl'ers 38 at the downgoing side and behind tensioning idlers 39 carried by slides which can be shifted to put the chains under more or less tension by adjusting screws 41. At the upgoing side, the chains are shown as maintained in a straight path by passage between guide rails 42.

The power for operating the elevator is supplied in the present instance by an electric motor 43 shown in Figure 8 as supported on a platform as carried by the elevator framing, said motor having a pinion 4L5 1n mesh with a gear 46 on shaft 47, which latter carries a worm 4:8 in mesh with worm gear 49 on shaft 50, which carries a gear 51 in mesh with gear 52 on the upper sprocket shaft 29.

The flights of the elevator are of special construction, consisting in each instance of a series of outstanding books or arms 26 fixed in spaced relation on a shaft 54: pivoted between the chains, said supporting arms having angular shank extensions 55 standing normally in the plane of the chains and provided with slotted ends 56 engaged with the cross rods 57. This construction enables the hooks to pass about the sprockets at the ends of the elevator and the angular extensions of the hooks serve as supports for the articles resting thereon.

In the present disclosure there is provided at the foot of the elevator a conveyor for positively advancing the packages or other materials from the chutes into reach of the elevator flights. This conveyor is shown in the form of an apron 58 carried by chains 59 supported at the. ends of sprockets 60 and tensioned by adjustable idler sprockets 61. This apron is mounted in framing 62 carried by the foot of they elevator frame so as to turn therewith and extends from a downwardly inclined runway 63 which is adapted to register with the foot of the chutes beneath and up about the upwardly traveling side of the elevator. At such upgoing side, i

the apron is shown as curved between guides 94: on an are drawn from the lower sprocket shaft 30 as a center.

For driving the conveyor the lowel sprocket shaft is shown as equipped with a gear 6a driving intermediate gears 65, 66, the latter of which engages a gear 67 on the upper carrier shaft. i

This same gear 64 is shown in Figure 5 as driving the gear 68 on shaft 69 which carries a cam 70 engaged by a cam roll 71 on, lever 72, which latter is pivoted on the elevator framing at 7 3 and has slotted connections at 74: with the upper ends of links 7 5, 76, 77 which, at their lower ends, are connected with the holdback or presser rods 78, 79, 80. These presser rods are carried by arms 81, 82, 83,, all pivoted at 84, and are yieldingly drawn downward into position, over the runway by springs 85. The cam, through the connections described, lowers the presser rods in time for them to. catch and hold back an article following the article which is about to pass into the control of one of the flights on the elevator, and so prevent overcrowding and hold the articles at the end of the chute back out of the way while a flight is passing down in front of the same.

At the upgoing side of the elevator, immediately above the loading conveyor, I have shown upwardly and inwardly inclined arms 86, carried by the pivoted shaft 87 and acted on by a spring 88 connected with an arm 89 fixed on said shaft to thrust the articles firmly into position on the flights. The extent of such action is governed in the illustration by a stop 90 on the rock shaft engaging a part of the supporting frame.

At the upper end of the elevator, strippers 91 are shown provided for removing the articles from the flights and directing the same onto one of the branches 92 of the gravity conveyor 93 which may be set to discharge onto an adjoining pier or other receiving station.

In the fixed lower end 1718 of each chute are a series of holes in the roof and floor of same to accommodate a grating 95 made of a number of rods which when lowered intoposition will prevent any articles in the chute from entering the space occupied by the elevator (see Figs. 3 and 5). A. cable 96 connected with the grating is carriedto the upper deck and thus allows of opening the exit of any chute. In practice all these chutes are loaded with merchandise to economize space and the chute opposite the elevator is first opened-to d scharge the cargo therein.

Operation-In loading a cargo carrier equipped with the invention, the usual practice is to. pack some of the merchandise in the lower hold about the chutes and to leave only a working space in the upper hold around the entrances to, the chutes. In unloading, the elevator is turned to bring the conveyor at the footof the same in line with the chute which is first to be used and the merchandise, indicated here in sacked form, is first unloaded from a section of the upper hold by simply dropping it into the mouth of the chute, the elevator being swung to register with different chutes as difierent sections of the hold are cleared.

In unloading the lower hold, the upper ends of the chutes are disconnected from the supporting deck and the first section. of the chute may be telescoped' to provide better access to the chute from within the lower hold. As the merchandise is fed down the chute, the chute may be collapsed section by Inn ferent sections of either or both holds may be selected from at will.

The materials fed down the chutes are taken by the traveling apron and advanced thereby into the reach of the elevator flights and are placed firmly on such flights at the upgoing sides of the elevator. The presser bars are raised by the cam to permit an article to feed in behind one of the flights and are again lowered in time to hold back the succeeding articles while the succeeding flight is passing downward in front of the same.

The apparatus, it will be seen, can be readily installed, takes up but relatively small space and enables the quick unloading of the ship or other carrier and in any desired order.

The chutes, being collapsible and capable of articulation, can be easily handled to meet various requirements, the chains or flexible connectors atthe upper sides of the chute limiting their extensive movements and the flexible connectors at the lower sides which are normally slack when the others are taut, with the sections extended in a straight line, permit of a further articulatory movement after the chutes have been extended practically their full length.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a cargo unloader, an elevator, a plurality of conveyors arranged to deliver material to said elevator and means for changing the position of said elevator to bring it into receptive relation with any one of such conveyors.

2. In a cargo unloader, an elevator adapted to be swung into different positions about a vertical axis, convergently arranged conveyors adapted to feed material to said elevator and means for swinging the elevator into position to receive material from any one of said conveyors.

3. In a cargo unloader, an elevator, an apron conveyor for feeding merchandise thereto, said elevator and apron conveyor being mounted for rotation as a unit about a substantially vertical axis and conveyors grouped about said elevator and arranged to discharge onto the apron conveyor when the same has been turned into register therewith,

4. In a cargo unloader, convergently arranged chutes and an elevator supported at the point of convergence of such chutes and arranged to be brought selectively into 00- operative relation thereto.

5. In a cargo unloader, an elevator, a casing enclosing the same, cargo chutes extending into different sides of said casing and means supporting the elevator to enable the same being turned into cooperative relation with the respective chutes.

6. In a cargo unloader, an elevator, downwardly inclined convergently arranged collapsible cargo chutes, grouped about the foot of said elevator and means for changing the position of the elevator to bring about a cooperative relation between the elevator and different selected chutes.

7. In a cargo unloader, an elevator,-downwardly inclined convergently arranged collapsible cargo chutes grouped about the foot of said elevator, meansfor establishing cooperative relation between the elevator and difierent selected chutes, and an apron for positively conveying material from the chutes to the elevator.

8. In a cargo unloader, an elevator, inclined cargo chutes extending thereto, supporting means enabling said elevator to be brought into active relation to different chutes and a gravity conveyor operable to receive material from the elevator in any of its different positions.

9. In a cargo unloader, a rotatably supported elevator, downwardly inclined chutes arranged to discharge thereto and hold-back mechanism carried by the elevator into position to register with the chute with which it is actively related.

10. In a cargo unloader, an elevator, a loading apron beneath the same, a cargo chute arranged to discharge onto said'apron and means for directing the apron on an upward incline.

11. The structure ofclaim 10 with presser mechanism at the upper end of the apron for firmly seating the merchandise on the elevator. j.

12. In a cargo unloader, an endless chain elevator, a loading apron curved upwardly at one end about the foot of the elevator on substantially the same radius of travel and a runway for discharging onto the other end of the apron.

13. In a car'go unloader, an endless chain elevator, a loading apron curved upwardly at one end about the foot of the elevator on substantially the same radius of travel and common driving means for said elevator and apron. I i

14. In a cargo unloader, an elevator mounted in a frame adjustable to face the elevator in various directions and a motor for operating the elevator mounted in said frameand adjustable therewith, said frame being pivotally supported at its lower end and at its upper end.

15. A cargo vessel having upper and lower holds with a well extending from the lower through the upper hold, downwardly inclined convergently arranged cargo chutes detachably connected at their upper ends in passages provided in the deck which sepa rates the upper and lower holds and opening at their lower ends through the sides of the well, said chutes being articulated and collapsible to facilitate unloading the lower hold, an elevator operating in the well and a loading apron for the elevator mounted for movement into cooperative relation with selected cargo chutes.

16. The structure of claim 15 in which both the elevator and the apron are mounted for the adjustment described.

17. The structure of claim 15 in which both the elevator and the apron are mounted for the adjustment described and in which common driving means is provided for the elevator and apron and is incorporated for adjustment therewith.

18. In cargo unloader, a substantially vertical elevator frame pivotally supported at its upper and lower ends so as to face in various directions, elevating mechanism mounted in said frame and a motor therefor mounted in the frame and adjustable therewith. "5

19. In apparatus of the character disclosed, a heel plate mounted rotatabl y' on a supporting base, spaced uprights carried by said heel plate and a yoke connecting the uprights and provided with a pivot stud for pivotally guiding the upper end of the frame thus formed and endless chain elevator mechanism carried by said frame.

20. In a cargo unloader, an elevator, said elevator being mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, a plurality of conveyors grouped about said elevator for conveying materials thereto, and means rotatahle with the elevator for registration with any of said conveyors and operable to positively teed material from the selected conveyor to the elevator.

21. In a cargo unloader, a plurality of chutes leading toward a common delivery station, and an elevator at the delivery station arranged to be brought selectively into cooperative relation with any of said chutes. 40

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

SIMON COOPER. 

